


Lost At First Bite

by occultclysms



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Circular Narrative, Established Relationship, Investigations, Kidnapping, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, Rescue Missions, Small Towns, Vampire Hunters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24012901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/occultclysms/pseuds/occultclysms
Summary: As boyfriends for over five years, Hendery and Yukhei have gotten used to the repetitiveness of life. But when Hendery is kidnapped by a hoard of vampires calling themselves Sons of the Moon, Yukhei must dig up his vampire hunter past to save him.#ABH098- This was written for Round 2 of Weishen Fest: Anything But Human [2020]
Relationships: Wong Kun Hang | Hendery/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 8
Kudos: 50
Collections: Weishen Fest: ANYTHING BUT HUMAN





	Lost At First Bite

**Author's Note:**

> i would like to give my heart to my beta honestly. she isn't the one who normally betas for me, but she probably has read over this fic more than half a dozen times and knows the plot better than me- so thank you to the moon and back
> 
> Prompt Number: #ABH098  
> Prompt: Lucas and Hendery have been dating for 5 years now and lucas has never been happier living with his boyfriend. One night Hendery is abducted by a hoard of vampires, so Lucas digs up his old past as a vampire hunter and calls an old friend to help him get his boyfriend back.

“Alright, Yukhei, was it?” the officer asks, sitting down across from Yukhei. The environment is uncomfortable, partially due to Yukhei’s experience being on the other side of the metal table more than once. The one-sided mirror is so much more daunting than Yukhei ever remembers it being. But this is the right decision, they had to come here or else Hendery would have been in even more danger.

“Yeah,” Yukhei replies, looking down. “Can you tell me if Hendery is okay?” Yukhei’s eyes shine with tears and he knows it. He has come so far with Hendery and he’ll be damned if he gets fucked over now. Hell, he’ll break down the walls between him and Hendery right now if he has to.

“Unfortunately, I can’t tell you at this time. What I need you to do is to tell me what happened.” Yukhei’s mouth turns into a line. He doesn’t want to cooperate right now. What he wants—scratch that—what he  _ needs _ right now is to see Hendery. They had separated them the moment they had walked through the front doors covered in dirt and blood.

“Look, Hendery means more to me than hunting down any vampires,” Yukhei tries. “Just let me know he’s okay and I’ll answer all the questions you could possibly think of. I know he’s in a lot of pain right now, so please get him something for it. I know for a fact that you have things to deal with this.”

“And how would you know that?” Apparently the officer doesn’t like Yukhei knowing more about his job than he does.

“Because I used to be a vampire hunter. I’m retired, but I know that things don’t change too fast around here, so get Hendery something for the pain, or I’m not talking at all.” Yukhei sits back in his metal chair and crosses his arms. He makes a point to stare at the officer with the harshest glare he can manage and when the officer sighs, Yukhei knows he’s broken him.

“I’m only giving in to what you want because you’re one of us.” Then the officer is walking out of the room and Yukhei relaxes substantially. He knows there are still eyes on him. From the people behind the one-sided mirror to the security camera in the corner of the room, Yukhei knows those eyes. He used to be those eyes, so he can’t quite shut them out, but he can relax knowing there isn’t anyone trying to break inside the room.

The officer returns a few minutes later and sits back down across from Yukhei. For a moment, they don’t speak. Yukhei cocks a brow at the officer as he gazes back at Yukhei.

“Hendery took the meds for the pain, but it’s not helping as much as you would hope it would. I’ve seen some react well to it, but others get no reaction at all, and it appears Hendery is one of those people. But, you must understand that we need to put together a cohesive timeline of the past few days’ events.”

“I understand,” Yukhei mumbles back, disappointed. It isn’t the officer’s fault that Hendery is still hurting, but Yukhei knows he could help Hendery much more right now than any medicine could. He knows that Ten said no, but that doesn’t change how Yukhei feels on the matter.

“Alright, I’ll start from the beginning.”

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

Yukhei wakes up to the sun shining onto his face. He stretches out his left hand to see if Hendery is still in bed. The bed is surprisingly cold. Normally, Yukhei goes to work before Hendery… Rubbing his eyes, Yukhei looks out the window. The sun is high and bright in the sky. Something is wrong.

Fumbling for his phone, Yukhei gets out of bed. It’s already 2:33 pm. Yukhei’s first thought is Hendery. Why didn’t he wake him up? Where could he be? Wandering around in his underwear, Yukhei checks each room in their apartment twice over. Hendery isn’t home. And there’s no note on the counter or text in his phone to put his mind at ease.

Hendery would be at work by now, but calling him could help calm Yukhei down. Yukhei dials, waiting for the ring. The phone rings, but Yukhei can hear Hendery’s ringtone. Rushing back to their bedroom, Yukhei looks on Hendery’s nightstand for his phone. It isn’t there, but the ringing persists. Toxic by Britney Spears is coming from somewhere in this room. Yukhei is sure of it.

Dropping down to his hands and knees, Yukhei finds Hendery’s phone under his side of the bed. Yukhei’s blood runs cold. He remembers Hendery setting his phone on the nightstand after taking some silly selfies of the two of them in bed the night before.

Yukhei’s mind is already racing to the worst possible scenario. Hendery was taken by vampires. Yukhei doesn’t want to believe it at all, but this was coming. And deep down Yukhei knew that. 

You see, Yukhei isn’t a normal person. He used to be a talented vampire hunter. The only reason Yukhei isn’t still a vampire hunter is Hendery. Sweet Hendery, who is scared of frogs, who loves night selfies, who stole Yukhei’s heart at the tender age of 21.

Vampires are a normal part of existence at this point. Before, vampire hunters would serve until their bodies gave out. Either from injury, mentally, or emotionally. You were a vampire hunter until the end. But vampires seem scarcer than ever and the government has gotten comfortable. Now you kill 1,000 vampires and the government will let you on your merry way. Although most love the job too much to do that though. Yukhei had killed 1,000 vampires by the age of 18 and a half: a new record. The previous record had been held by Ten, who had hit 1,000 by 19.

_ Ten. _ Ten is the answer Yukhei is looking for. Yukhei fumbles for his phone once again and dials the only number memorized in his mind. The phone rings and rings and Yukhei is sure Ten won’t answer. Then he does.

“Hello? Ten, the greatest vampire hunter of all time speaking.” Yukhei feels a warm wash of familiarity come over him at Ten’s stupid greeting.

“Do you finally hold that title?” Yukhei asks, unable to resist one quick jab at Ten’s pride before getting to business. Yukhei was originally going to be paired with someone in his own year, but once he proved his worth, Ten snatched him up. Ten’s old partner, Johnny, had died earlier that year at the hand of a vampire clan called the Sons of the Moon.

Ten and Yukhei had truly been golden together. Both quick on their feet, versatile, and gifted with deadly accuracy. So good in fact, that they considered getting together. But they didn’t match as well as they thought they would, to say the least. (Long story short, Yukhei ended up trashing Ten’s apartment, but that’s all in the past.)

“I do actually. I recently hit 20,000 vampires killed, putting me in the number one slot of all time. I gotta say, it feels pretty great. But might I ask why you’re calling, Xuxi?” Also very Ten. Getting straight to the point, with a little self-praise mixed in. Yukhei’s throat tightens up and he takes in a shaky breath. “Xuxi? Honey?” Being called  _ Honey _ again does something to Yukhei, and suddenly he’s 19 again, meeting Ten for the first time.

Behind his eyes, Yukhei sees Ten. His short black hair, black tinged eyes, beads of silver in his ears and a presence Yukhei could only dream of. Ten had shook Yukhei’s hand, given him a once over, a smirk and a promise,  _ “You’re my new partner. Now and forever, until one of us passes.”  _ Ten’s blind confidence in him had been the motivation that pushed Yukhei to new heights. 

And here Yukhei is, once again looking to Ten for guidance like his own shining compass. One more deep breath and Yukhei says, “Hendery has been taken by vampires.” Ten is silent for a moment. He had been the one to set Hendery and Yukhei up in the first place. Ten had been the one Yukhei asked for his blessing before proposing to Hendery. Ten was the one to push Yukhei to find love, love that came from places outside of his job.

“Xuxi.  _ Honey _ . I will personally stake any vampire that has so much as laid a finger on your darling Hendery,” Ten coos. Yukhei tries to swallow a watery laugh, but it comes out garbled and weird. “I’ll be there in under an hour, so promise me not to cry too much before I get there.” Ten makes gross kissy noises into the phone and hangs up.

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

Ten, always true to his word, is at Yukhei’s place in 45 minutes. Barging in through the front door, yelling about removing arteries, he makes an appearance. But Yukhei isn’t listening to Ten at all. He’s too busy staring at the front door.

“Yukhei! Are you even listening to me?” Ten whines, pouting and cocking his head in front of Yukhei’s face.

“No. Not at all. I was thinking about something.” There’s a pause as Ten straightens up and moves behind Yukhei to follow his line of sight.

“Are you going to tell me what you see?” Ten pries, hands coming to rest on Yukhei’s shoulders.

“In order to get in, the vampires would have had to pick the lock. And I think they busted it if you can come in without even knocking,” Yukhei explains, still staring intently at the door handle.

“Does your door automatically lock?” Ten asks.

“No, but you pushed the door open. You didn’t even turn the knob,” Yukhei points out.

“I didn’t even think of that. See, this is why I need you as my partner again,” Ten comments, fingers pressing lightly against Yukhei’s shoulders.

“I’m going to ignore your comment for now. Now,” Yukhei hops up from his seat on the couch and prances over to the door. “I need your vampire tracking supplies.” Ten does as Yukhei requests and brings up his bags from his car.

“Here are two full vampire tracking kits. It makes the most sense for each of us to have one in case we separate for some reason,” Ten says.

“I don’t think we’re going to separate anytime soon,” Yukhei comments. There is a double meaning in Yukhei’s words though. Johnny, Ten’s old partner died because the pair had separated during an investigation. They had been investigating a call in about vampires using an abandoned house as a base. Ten carried more offensive supplies, as that is what he is better with, and Johnny had mostly defensive supplies. They worked strongest as a team, and the vampires must have known this as after being in the house for a few minutes, the two were separated. Ten tried to find Johnny, but it was too late. Lured away by some vampires, Johnny had been killed. Yukhei doesn’t want to actively bring up the incident but hopes that he can ease Ten’s nerves.

“Good. I’ll use the DNA detector to see if any scents were left.” Scents weren’t actually scents. More like DNA that could be tracked. For example, if a vampire breaks something, even if it's small, they will leave some trace of their energy there. This also applies to spit, blood, and other bodily fluids. But it does not work for hair or skin cells.

Yukhei watches as Ten works, trying to re-familiarize himself with the technology he thought he would never have to use again. Ten grabs things from his bag, uses a scanning device, and finally swabs the actual doorknob. Ten sticks the swab into a silver box with a compass on top. This tool is essentially a tracker, so if any of that vampire’s energy is still around, the machine will pick it up and Ten can take them to the last known location.

“I got something,” Ten sings, almost bouncing as he watches the tracker buzz. “Whoever was here left a trail to the woods about fifty miles from here.” Zooming in on the picture, Yukhei sees that there’s a town about three miles away from the vampire’s latest location, and considering that the vampire traveled through the town, that might be their best place to start.

“Okay, we have a lead.” Yukhei knows that this might be the path to find Hendery, though it almost felt a little too easy. But what does Yukhei know? He’s been retired for years and Ten hasn’t said anything about it. “Let’s pack our bags and go.”

“I’m one step ahead of you,” Ten says, standing up. “My bags are already packed for a week and are in the car along with some extra stuff in your size. So grab a bag, get anything you need. Oh, and be sure to get things for Hendery as well. He might need them and I don’t want my car to reek like vampires.”

Yukhei smiles, and Ten lightly touches his cheek before bounding back to his room and shoving all the things he thinks he could need into a bag as quickly as he can.

Twenty minutes later, the pair are on the road and the sun is still hanging high in the sky. Ten sings along to a song on the radio, voice just as soothing as Yukhei remembers it being. The song ends and fades into a news report.

_ “Tonight we pay homage to the vampire hunters who have gone missing in the line of duty,” _ Yukhei sees Ten’s hands tighten around the steering wheel, but he makes no move to turn off the radio.  _ “Those who are included in this remembrance are Johnny Seo, partners J—” _ The radio cuts out right at that very moment, and Ten relaxes into his chair.

When Ten and Yukhei finally pull into the town, named Salem, which feels a little on the nose to Yukhei (even though Salem was where they burned witches, not vampires), Ten’s tracker, which had been resting on the center console and beeping out directions, stops working. Yukhei pulls out his cellphone and sees that he has no service as well.

“Well, this sucks,” Ten comments, slowing the car down until they’re idling in front of the town’s welcome sign. Salem, population three hundred, est. 1765. The paint is worn and faded, alluding to the fact that none of those three hundred people had bothered to update the sign in well over thirty years. “But I’m not surprised the service cut out, service providers might not realize that anyone even lives in this town anymore.”

“You’re probably right,” Yukhei replies, looking up out of the sunroof to try and see the sun again. The trees are so dense in this part of the woods that they completely block out the sun, even though it’s not past three in the afternoon. Ten takes his foot off the break and they quietly roll into town, gravel crunching under their tires while Yukhei tries to take in as much detail as possible on the off chance he has to find his way out. But that might not be necessary as there’s only one gravel road that eventually turns into pavement a mile later.

The main street of Salem has several shops on both sides of the street, but more than half are empty with no lights on and only two have people actually shopping in them. Ten stops in front of one of those stores; Kun’s Grocery Emporium. There’s a parking space right in front, there are parking spaces in front of  _ every _ store, but only four cars on the entire street as far as the eye can see.

Ten powers off the car and both of them hop out, careful to hide any evidence of them being vampire hunters in the car so in case anyone gets nosey (which, let’s face it, they probably are because what else is there to do in a small town), they don’t end up tipping off a vampire on accident. But vampires don’t normally live in town, though with Hendery with them they might have stopped by to pick up food for him as they clearly don’t want him dead just yet. If they wanted him dead, they would have already killed him and left him for Yukhei to find, just as effective. But they were deliberate in their actions, so Yukhei keeps his eyes peeled as they walk into the store.

“Oh, hello there,” greets a man probably around their age, round glasses perched on his nose and silver hair falling over his forehead. He has soft eyes and very squishable cheeks. Unfortunately, just Ten’s type. And Yukhei can tell from the way Ten’s lips quirk up in interest.

“Hi, there,” Ten replies. “We’re looking for someone, and since your store is the largest on the street, we thought this might be the place to start.” Yukhei takes out his phone and finds his most recent picture of Hendery, smiling and posing as he cooked dinner for them. Seeing the picture makes Yukhei’s heart clench, but he shoves it all down and looks to the man whose face is deep in concentration.

“Have you seen this guy before?” Yukhei asks. “He responds to the name Hendery and might have had bruises or looked sickly when he came through here.”

“Yeah, I did see him. Or at least what I think is him. He was in the car of someone who came through here. And before you ask, it was a big black car, but I don’t know the model name. I didn’t see the plate because of the angle of where I stand. Like,” the guy grabs Ten and positions Ten in his original spot, “Can’t see the license plate of your own car now can you?”

“No, I can’t,” Ten replies and Yukhei has known Ten long enough to know what he’s thinking about. He’s thinking about the guy manhandling him and Yukhei hates that he knows that.

“Yeah,” the guy says, hands still on Ten’s shoulders. “I wish I could do more for you in that sense. Oh, I’m Kun by the way; I’m the owner of this store and I’m here six days a week, so you can feel free to drop by whenever you’d like.”

“Kun, could you describe who Hendery was with? That might help us as well,” Yukhei prods. Something about Kun didn’t feel quite right, but then again, nothing has felt right since he’s stepped into this fucking town. 

“All I remember is that one of the guys he was with had red hair, but no other super defining features. Also Asian, around my height.” That doesn’t really give Ten and Yukhei that much to go off of. The guy could have redyed his hair, but he supposes the height might be a little bit helpful. Ten thanks Kun for his time and they are almost ready to go, when Kun grabs Ten’s wrist. “Just in case I remember anything else.”

Ten hands over his phone, so Yukhei can only assume they’re exchanging numbers. Which is great for Ten, he’s been single for long enough, but Yukhei really wants to get Hendery back sooner rather than later. He very impatiently taps his foot on the hardwood of the store and glances around to see if there’s anyone else he might want to talk to.

An Asian boy dressed in a denim jacket and beanie with an earring in one ear stands out to Yukhei, so he approaches him. Yukhei taps him on the shoulder and he spins around quickly.

“Hello?” he asks and while that isn’t really a question Yukhei lets it slide.

“Yeah, I’m Yukhei Wong and I’m looking for this man, Hendery Wong.” Yukhei holds out his phone to the guy who nods. It’s a complete coincidence that Yukhei and Hendery have the same last name, it makes people think they’re married or related, which is always awkward because they are neither of those things. Though, Yukhei wouldn’t be against marrying Hendery.

“I saw him earlier today, but I don’t know where he is right now,” the guy says, looking up at Yukhei.

“Can you tell me where you saw him?” Yukhei asks, trying to keep the eagerness out of his voice. He wants to find Hendery so bad, but professionalism comes before his emotional attachments.

“I saw him way down this main street, walking with some guys towards the old abandoned church. I live a little ways out of town, so I assumed they were walking back to one of their houses, but they’re all towards the church, so that’s where I would look first if I were you.” The guy shoves his hands into his jacket pockets and glances to his left.

“Thank you… Can I get your name and some notes about some of the houses out there?” Yukhei asks, hoping he’s not being too pushy. It’s just good form to get a name, and this guy seems to have some pretty useful information.

“It’s Dejun, and yeah. Let me ask Kun for some pen and paper and I’ll draw you a little map; though it’s been a while since I’ve visited the other cabins, so everything might not be completely right, but I’ll try my best,” Dejun says, walking over to Ten and Kun, who look a bit  _ too _ cozy if someone were to ask Yukhei.

As if listening to their conversation, Kun hands over a pen and paper without Dejun having to ask, and something about that makes Yukhei feel off. Ten would say Yukhei is being dramatic and acting like everyone around them personally pissed in his cereal, but Yukhei thinks he’s right here.

Shoving the thought aside for the moment, Yukhei turns his gaze back to Dejun who’s drawing a map. There are four cabins in total: one belonging to Dejun, one for the Lee’s, one that’s Kun’s, and another labeled as the haunted one.

“The haunted one used to belong to this one guy,” Dejun says, pointing at the hand-drawn map. “I don’t remember who he was exactly, but I think his name started with a T or something.” 

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

Dejun had been more helpful than Yukhei could have ever imagined, even offering to let Ten and Yukhei stay with him in his cabin for the few days they planned to be in town. Yukhei really wanted to refuse, but there really wasn’t a better option. Hopefully, Dejun isn’t a vampire and this isn’t secretly a plot to kill off Ten and Yukhei for good, but it seems worth the risk. Especially because Dejun doesn’t  _ seem _ like a vampire and while that might not be a lot to most people, Yukhei’s gut tends to be right in these kinds of situations.

Currently, Ten and Yukhei are sitting on Dejun’s living room couch as he explains how to work the different things in the house. It’s a bit unnecessary, as Ten and Yukhei don’t plan on using anything more than they need while they are here. Dejun’s explaining how to use the remote but Yukhei’s isn’t really listening, he’s looking around the cabin trying to figure out if he and Ten are in any sort of danger. That seems like a much better use of his time. Nothing sticks out at Yukhei at all, except for a photograph hanging above the mantle.

In the photo is Dejun, Kun, and a few other men that Yukhei doesn’t recognize. But what piques Yukhei’s interest is the fact that one of the shorter men in front fits Kun’s description from earlier.

“Hey, Dejun?” Yukhei interrupts and Ten shoots him a quick death glare for being rude, but Yukhei ignores it. “Who’s in that picture behind you?” Dejun turns around and takes a quick look at the picture before returning to face Yukhei.

“That’s me, Kun, Taeil, Taeyong, and Mark. Taeyong and Mark are the Lees who live in one of the other cabins, you've met Kun, and Taeil lives outside of town, but comes in a lot to buy things,” Dejun explains. “Taeil is the one with red hair and Mark is the one with green, just so you know.”

“Thanks, Dejun,” Yukhei replies, eyes still focused on Taeil’s smiling face. Taeil might have been the person Kun saw with Hendery, but if Kun clearly knows him why wouldn’t he definitively say who it was? Yukhei puts the thought in the back of his mind for later. It’s quite possible it’s a mere coincidence, but Yukhei isn’t sure.

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

Ten has his feet propped up on the metal table and lets his blood-stained fingers run along the edge. It’s a weird feeling being on the other side, he supposes, but he’s done this a million times before. It’s no different really. Only now he’s answering the questions instead of asking them.

Officer Sicheng Dong comes into the room and sits down across from him. He frowns at Ten and his eyes immediately focus on his hands. Sicheng never took well to the sight of blood. Very talented vampire hunter, but didn’t enjoy working with the more bloody cases. Truly a shame, in Ten’s opinion.

“Greetings, Ten,” Sicheng says, awkward and quiet. In any other situation, Ten would be Sicheng’s superior. It’s amusing how Sicheng isn’t quite comfortable with the role reversal, but Ten honestly couldn’t care less.

“‘Sup, Officer Dong,” Ten replies. “I know these aren’t the greatest circumstances for us to meet again, but I want to state on record that Yukhei and Hendery are innocent of all blame.” Ten stares directly into the camera without blinking as he speaks. “Any and all blame falls on me. I would also like to humbly request a donut as I got no fucking dinner tonight due to a certain vampire.”

“Ten, what are you doing?” Sicheng asks, lips twitching in annoyance. “You don’t need to protect them here.” Ten frowns. He really would kill for a fucking donut and Sicheng just ignores his request.

“And why is that?” Ten counters dropping his feet to the floor and moving his elbows to rest on the table. “I know coming here is the right decision, but that doesn’t change the fact that I don’t trust a single one of you not to fuck over Hendery or Yukhei here. I know the only reason you won’t fuck all three over of us is because I’m a well known public figure and if I start bashing the very people I work for, it wouldn’t go too well for anyone.” Sicheng’s mouth draws into a tight line and Ten smirks at him.

“Can you answer some questions for me?” Sicheng asks, not meeting Ten’s eyes.

“Only if you promise me Hendery’s safety once this is all over. Whether that means putting him under my care or what, I don’t want you throwing him away like you did with Johnny. Or with Taeyong. Or any of the countless others who’ve suffered.”

“You know  _ I’m _ not the one in charge here,” Sicheng snaps. “I’m stuck putting up with your bullshit even though I don’t want to. You think I actually give a fuck about this job at all? Not a chance. It’s not my fault I was fucking chosen for this.”

“That’s exactly how Hendery feels right now. So, empathize with him a bit. Just do what you can to help him out,” Ten says, and while Ten is technically the one making demands here, it sure feels like he’s giving orders as Sicheng’s shoulders slouch and he looks up at Ten with a defeated look in his eyes.

“Fine.” Sicheng sighs. “I will see what I can do, but no promises. Now, can you please explain what happened?”

“Why of course,” Ten replies. “Where should I start?”

“I’ve already heard about most of the first day and considering your history with Yukhei, I don’t think you’ll have too different of a story,” Sicheng explains. “So start with the first night.”

“Yeah, that’s true. I met up with Yukhei, we scanned his apartment and then went to Salem. That’s it basically.” Ten pauses. “Yukhei was kind of weird that night though.”

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

“We should go right now,” Yukhei pushes.

“Yukhei, honey,” Ten says, standing over Yukhei and holding his cheeks between his hands. “It’s dark now, so vamps will be harder to track effectively and on the off chance Dejun was a vampire trying to lead you on, you not showing up tonight would be good for you.” Ten knows he’s right. Normally, waiting before investigating is a bad idea, but it’s only him and Yukhei with who knows how many vampires around. And Yukhei knows too as his face softens.

“Fine,” Yukhei pouts. Ten kisses Yukhei’s forehead and gives his cheeks another squeeze before moving over to his side of the bed to turn off the lamp. He flicks it off and climbs under the covers. Yukhei sighs and gets up, stripping off his shirt and jeans. 

“Ten,” Yukhei whispers. “I can’t find my pajamas anywhere with the light off.”

“Just come lay down with me in your boxers; you’ve done it before and it wasn’t weird then so it shouldn’t be weird now,” Ten counters. “I’m sleepy so get over here. I’ll even let you be the little spoon.” Ten knows Yukhei will never admit it, but he absolutely adores being the little spoon. Yukhei lays down next to Ten and Ten can feel how tense he is without even touching him. He must be thinking about Hendery again. Ten latches himself onto Yukhei with his hands running through Yukhei’s hair to calm him down.

_ Poor baby, always worrying so much for others but never taking the time to focus on himself. _ Yukhei had been an amazing support all throughout their partnership, but he would never really allow Ten to care of him the way he cares for others. It’s in rare moments like these where Ten can baby Yukhei, even if it’s just a little bit. It’s mostly for Yukhei’s benefit, but Ten also receives a bit of enjoyment from protecting him. Everything he did wrong with Johnny, he would do correctly this time with Yukhei. He would always put Yukhei, and by extension, Hendery, first. 

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

Originally the plan had been to drive right up to the haunted cabin, but Yukhei was worried about attracting unwanted attention by parking directly in front of it. Ten chose to indulge Yukhei, even though he was positive they weren’t going to draw any more vampire attention than they already had with their very presence.

Now, Ten and Yukhei have walked through the woods for over twenty minutes to reach the haunted cabin. Compared to Dejun’s, the haunted cabin is practically a hike to reach. One winding path leads the duo to the front door of something that can barely be called a cabin. With smashed in windows, paint so peeled there’s hardly any left, and a front door barely hanging onto its hinges, it certainly isn’t very welcoming.

Yukhei charges ahead, but Ten grabs his wrist before he can get too far. In Ten’s other hand, he holds the same tracker they had used previously at Yukhei’s apartment. They make eye contact and nod silently. Ten lets Yukhei walk a few feet ahead of him, but now his steps are much softer and purposeful than before.

Stepping onto the wrap-around porch, which is honestly at risk of falling in on itself, Ten cringes as one of the floorboards squeaks. Yukhei pays Ten no mind and walks through the front door of the house and off to the right, into a sitting room with holes torn into all the furniture, probably by rats. Ten takes to the left, glancing up the staircase for anything suspicious, before moving into what had once been a library.

No books are left on the shelves. In fact, the only books in the room at all are torn apart and scattered across the floor, which is covered by a large rug that Ten treads on carefully. He scans the entire room for anything, but nothing stands out in particular.

Ten turns on the scanner, hoping it will pick something up, but it won’t turn on.  _ That’s weird. _ Ten had just checked it moments ago. He frowns, lightly hitting the scanner with his palm. Nothing happens. There’s only been one other time where Ten’s tools have stopped working… 

Shoving those thoughts aside for the moment, Ten walks back through the library and into the kitchen where he finds Yukhei looking out of the window that rests above the sink.

“What are you looking at?” Ten asks, and Yukhei nearly jumps out of his skin which is unusual. Yukhei is generally calm, but maybe his nerves were getting to him.

“I could have sworn I saw something in the trees,” Yukhei explains, leaning against the rotting counter. which is gross in Ten’s opinion, he wouldn’t touch  _ anything _ in this house if he could get away with it, but Yukhei doesn’t seem to care.

“Oh, really?” Ten replies, interest piqued. “A vampire or like a deer? One is fun to hunt and the other is a deer.” Yukhei cracks a little smile at Ten’s stupid attempt at humor. 

“I think it was a deer, but I’m not a hundred percent sure. My scanner won’t turn on, so I can’t check.” Yukhei seems tense, his body is pulled into itself with his shoulders almost touching his ears, but he tries to hide it with a smile that almost meets his eyes. Both of them are probably thinking the same thing, but neither one of them wants to bridge the topic.

The only other time scanners hadn’t worked was on the mission when Ten lost Johnny.

Neither of them wants to say it. Yukhei doesn’t want to say it because he doesn’t want to upset Ten, but Ten won’t say anything either because he knows that comparing the two missions will make Yukhei’s anxiety go up. It’s Ten’s job to protect Yukhei, and that sometimes means ignoring the red flags.

“Let’s go check around upstairs, but I’ll go first in case the stairs are weak.” Yukhei nods. 

They walk back through the library and make it halfway up the stairs (with none of them breaking, thank god) before Ten senses another red flag. He stops on the stairs and gestures for Yukhei to stop walking. Ten makes it the rest of the way up the stairs, and he knows Yukhei wants to protest against him going alone, but Ten can’t risk Yukhei’s life.

At the top of the stairs, Ten looks around and sees three doors in total. Two on his left and one at the end of the hallway. The house is dead silent; no creaks, groans, or moans can be heard from anyone or anything that might be hiding within its walls.

Then the door at the end of the hallway opens a smidge. There are no external factors that could have caused that, so Ten slinks down the hallway, back parallel to the stairs in case something bursts out of the doors on the left. Ten rests his hand on his hip where his only real weapon lays; a taser designed for vampires. There’s little to no effect when shot at a human, so it’s a good first test to check if someone is a vamp. He raises the taser and aims it towards the motionless door.

Once at the door, Ten holds his breath and listens as closely as he can for any sounds. There’s nothing except for the sound of his own heartbeat. Ten kicks in the door and holds his taser out in front of him, quickly scanning the room. It’s dark with blinds and sheets covering all of the front windows, but what’s most fascinating is the sight of Mark and Taeyong Lee cowering from Ten.

Ten slowly lowers his taser, but doesn’t holster it, and calls for Yukhei to come up to the room at the end of the hall. Yukhei steps into the room and Ten already feels more at ease.

“What are you two doing here?” Ten asks. Taeyong hides farther behind Mark, who looks peeved.

“Who are you to be telling me where I can and can’t be?” Mark counters, scowling. “Now, fuck off.” Ten holsters his taser. Mark is a goddamn child, not some bloodthirsty vampire. Well, it’s too soon to tell, but he doesn’t seem like he’ll jump Ten at any moment.

“No. I know this isn’t where you live, so you have just as much right to be here as we do,” Ten counters. “Besides, Yukhei and I are conducting an investigation for a missing person. What’s your excuse?” Ten cocks his chin towards Taeyong, who has started to peek around Mark’s shoulder.

“Mark dared me to explore this place with him, and everything was fine until you guys showed up,” Taeyong whines. “I got scared because I didn’t really want to be found out hiding in an abandoned house.” Mark elbows Taeyong who whimpers.

“Can you tell us if you’ve seen this guy before?” Yukhei asks, pulling out his picture of Hendery. Mark barely spares the photo a glance, but Taeyong looks uncertain.

“Never seen him before,” Mark says definitively and Taeyong bites his lip instead of responding. Ten thinks Taeyong knows something, but there’s no way he will give it up with Mark here. This means that he and Yukhei will have to do some secondary investigating.

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

“Kun texted me,” Ten mumbles, laying flat on the bed in Dejun’s cabin as Yukhei sits comfortably in a lounge chair.

“Anything of interest?” Yukhei asks.

“No.” Ten hesitates. “He asked me out tonight.”

“Like a date?” Yukhei questions.

“Yeah, like a date. I mean, we did hit it off before, but I didn’t think he would actually want to go out with me properly y’know,” Ten confesses. “It’s been a while since I’ve gone on an actual first date though.”

“You should go see him,” Yukhei concludes. “As gross as it was, you two seemed to get along really well. And like you said, you haven’t gotten with anyone in a while. What if he’s your one true love and this is your only chance at happiness?” Now, Ten knows Yukhei isn’t even talking about him anymore. He’s talking about himself. If anyone has met their one true love, it’s Yukhei with Hendery. In Ten’s opinion, they are truly the model for love.

“Alright,” Ten says, giving in to Yukhei, although he really wants to do this as well. Yukhei is justifying his decision, so he won’t feel guilty about leaving Yukhei alone. “I’ll go out with him. But while I’m gone, try to look into any other possible leads we could check out tomorrow.”

“Okay, have fun, Ten,” Yukhei replies, voice slightly tight.

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

Yukhei knows that Ten told him to go and research where Hendery might be, but he can’t bring himself to do it. With Ten out on his date with Kun, everything seems a bit more real and scary. Slipping away from Dejun’s cabin is easy enough as there isn’t any security on it besides a locking front door.

Walking on his heels, Yukhei turns away from the cabins. The farther he goes, the colder the air seems to get and the trees around him engulf him in a blanket of darkness. While unsettling, Yukhei doesn’t let it bother him. Even if there are vampires lurking around here, Yukhei has some defenses in his pockets just in case.

Coming to the base of a gigantic pine tree, Yukhei stares up from the base. He can just barely make out the night sky and decides to make it his mission to climb high enough to get a better look. Yukhei grabs the lowest hanging branch and pulls himself up onto it.

Repeating this process a few more times, Yukhei finds himself what he guesses to be about thirty feet off the ground. He feels almost as if he’s flying and the air is clearer, but he still isn’t at the top. Logically, he should give up and stop here to be on the safe side. Yukhei hesitates for a moment, weighing both options carefully. Then he hears the sound of running along the forest floor. The speed of the steps is much too fast to be human, meaning there’s a vampire nearby.

Most likely, the coven center is also in the surrounding area. Yukhei holds his breath as he listens for any more running. The vampire wasn’t even trying to be quiet, under the assumption that no humans would be out here this late. 

That settles it, Yukhei needs to climb higher to see if he can spot anything that might give him a clue as to where Hendery might be being kept. Raising himself onto the next branch with utmost care and grace, Yukhei bites the inside of his cheek. Climbing a tree silently wasn’t something he was taught as a part of his vampire hunter training.

Luckily, he gets up another fifteen feet or so before having to stop. He can see a lot more of the sky, now able to make out full constellations and spot the moon. But, Yukhei can’t climb any higher without risking one of the branches breaking. Yukhei isn’t overweight by any means, but he’s still over six feet and decently muscular. Hendery would be able to make it all the way up to the top though.

Yukhei can easily imagine Hendery climbing all the way to top and yelling out how he’s the king of the world. The idea makes Yukhei feel that bittersweet tinge of longing. Resting with his back against the tree, one leg on either side of the tree branch, Yukhei lets his mind wander. Back to the days of first getting to know Hendery, back to asking Hendery out for the first time, back to only a few days ago when Hendery and Yukhei were curled up together in bed, basking in the morning glow of the sun like their time was endless. Little did they know.

Yukhei shuts out the sad thoughts. He’s going to get Hendery back, even if it’s the last thing he’ll do. Because Hendery will always come first in Yukhei’s life. Ten always joked that Yukhei looked at Hendery like he hung the moon and the stars. But in reality, Hendery is his moon, stars, his whole goddamn sky.

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

Ten wakes up the next day to the sun streaming into Dejun’s cabin windows. Checking his phone, Ten sees that it’s already past four in the afternoon and that cell service didn’t magically appear overnight. Dejun has probably already gone to work or whatever it is normal people do.

Yukhei is laying next to Ten, still passed out and with leaves in his hair. Ten sighs, he didn’t really think that Yukhei would listen to him, but he had hoped that Yukhei wouldn’t blatantly ignore him either. But Yukhei isn’t hurt, so Ten can’t really be too mad. Yukhei is a big boy and can take care of himself.

Prodding at Yukhei’s shoulder, Ten attempts to wake him up. He stirs, then mumbles something about needing five more minutes.

“Yukhei, honey,” Ten says. “It’s already past two pm, and I would like to go door to door on the few houses in the main area of the town. Plus, interview the Lees that live in the cabin near here. They’re the only ones who we haven’t properly interviewed that might’ve really seen something. Not to doubt the townspeople, but vampires generally don’t do vampire things in plain daylight.” Yukhei grunts in response and Ten shoves his shoulder, causing him to nearly tip off the bed. Yukhei sits up properly and rubs at his eyes before yawning.

“Alright, I’m awake.”

“You’re not really awake yet,” Ten replies. “Before making up an excuse about why you’re tired, I already know why you’re still so sleepy.” Yukhei opens his mouth to protest, but Ten holds up a hand to silence him. “There are leaves in your hair, Yukhei. Where do leaves come from? Outside.”

“Okay, yes,” Yukhei admits. “I went out for a late-night walk and found a very climbable looking tree, so I climbed it. And when I was really high up, I heard a vampire run past the tree.” This time, it’s Ten’s mouth falling open and Yukhei holding up a hand to signal him to be quiet. “I didn’t get caught, clearly, so don’t worry. I didn’t hear another one and waited a reasonable amount of time before even attempting to leave the tree.”

“I’m glad you’re okay, honey,” Ten concludes after hesitating. Yukhei frowns. “I know you were safe, but you know why I’m always worried about you going out alone.” Yukhei nods and Ten’s hand comes up to pet Yukhei’s messy hair.

“I didn’t mean to worry you, I just needed a breather,” Yukhei replies.

“I know you didn’t, and that’s okay. But please tell me at the very least next time. For now though, you need to hop in the shower and get dressed so we can go bother the Lee’s.” Yukhei nods, a small smile pricking at his lips. 

Once Yukhei is dressed and ready it’s already past five. Ten and him leave Dejun’s cabin and climb into Ten’s car. Yukhei gives directions to where Dejun said the two of them lived and once they got close to the cabin, Ten turns off the headlights and slows down until they are in front of the Lee household.

“I can’t believe we’re staking out two teenagers,” Yukhei mumbles from his spot in the passenger seat. “They’re definitely suspicious, but it still feels weird to do this.”

“We’re literally investigating them, that’s our job,” Ten counters, shifting in the driver's seat until he’s comfortable, but not at risk of hitting the horn.

“Anyways, you never told me how your date went.” Yukhei’s eyes stare at the mostly dark cabin as he lightly taps his fingers on his thighs.

“Yukhei, I think I’m in love,” Ten gasps. “The date was absolutely perfect, almost as if he read my mind for everything a guy could want on a first date. Roses, wine, chocolate, the whole nine yards.”

“It’s been three days,” Yukhei points out. “Love is a bit of a strong word.” Yukhei was literally the one to tell Ten that he could be meeting the love of his life. Even though Yukhei didn’t really mean those words about Ten, it doesn’t mean that Ten won’t make them about him.

“‘ My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me, That I must love a loathed enemy’, ” Ten recites. He doesn’t have a huge knowledge of Shakespeare, but he knows several nice-sounding quotes.

“Do you even know who said that?” Yukhei snorts. He prides himself on his general knowledge of the world, so it only makes sense that Shakespeare would fall under that category.

“William Shakespeare.” Ten feels smug as hell when Yukhei raises his eyebrows in surprise, but the moment doesn’t last.

“Then you should know that you’re referencing Romeo and Juliet.” What’s wrong with Romeo and Juliet? Aren’t they considered the greatest love story of all time or something like that?

“Yeah, so?”

“Both of them die in the end.” Ten doesn’t like how smug Yukhei sounds about that fact.

“Oh, fuck,” Ten replies. “Well, I don’t plan on dying anytime soon. Currently, I’m focused on seeing if Mark and Taeyong do anything suspicious.” Yukhei nods, but they both know Ten is just trying to change the subject.

The rest of the night passes quickly as Ten and Yukhei don’t see any suspicious activity from the cabin. Around midnight, the lights go out and no one is seen entering or leaving the cabin. At 1:30 the two decide to call it a night, even if they are unsatisfied with the results.

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

Ten hadn’t really been expecting to go on a date during this whole trip, so all of his clothes are on the more attack vampires and get blood stains out easily type. Dressing in his nicest jeans, button-down and leather jacket, Ten stares into the mirror. He’s still in Dejun’s bathroom, almost ready to leave. Maybe he should undo another button. Ten sighs. He can do this.

Ten leaves the bathroom and Yukhei shoots him a thumbs up from the bed, already dressed in his pajamas. Smiling, Ten gives a tense nod back. He has this. He has been on dates before and this one is no different. Except Kun is drop-dead gorgeous.

Shoving any panicked gay thoughts aside, Ten leaves Dejun’s cabin and hops in his car. Kun’s cabin is close by, but it’s already dark and Ten doesn’t really want to walk through the woods in the dark. That sounds like a whole recipe for disaster.

Ten is in front of Kun’s cabin within five minutes, but that isn’t enough time to mentally prepare himself for this so he sits in his car and gives himself a quick pep talk before going in. It’s just dinner and a movie. Super casual. Absolutely no stress. Ten has done this a million times before and knows how to excuse himself if things don’t do very well. Everything will be fine. 

Getting out of his car, Ten smoothes down his shirt, pops an extra button for good luck, and walks up to Kun’s front door. Before he can knock, Kun swings the door open and good god, Ten will be in for a trying night if Kun is going to be dressed like this the whole time. He’s wearing an off the shoulder sweater, tight jeans, and a choker to top it all off. RIP Ten.

“Hi there, Kun,” Ten greets and Kun smiles brightly.

“Hi, Ten. Come on in.” Kun opens the door wider and invites Ten in. Stepping in, Ten can see that the cabin is almost the exact same set up as Dejun’s, but styled completely differently. There are plants everywhere and lots of books on every surface, but it doesn’t feel cluttered. It feels more like those house setups in magazines where there is strategic placement for everything. “Dinner is on the stove already. It has to simmer for twenty minutes before it’s ready to eat though.”

“Wow,” Ten mumbles, eyes glazing over book titles as Kun guides him to the plush sofa. “You must be well read with all of these books.”

“I have a lot of free time.” Kun shrugs. “Do you want to start the movie now or would you like to skip to dessert?” Oh. Ten may have been single for a while but he knows  _ exactly _ what Kun is implying here. Kun wants to make out, and honestly, Ten can’t blame him. There must not be a lot of people to date or casually make out with around here.

“I certainly wouldn’t mind,” Ten purrs. Kun lightly places his hands on Ten’s shoulders and moves to straddle his lap. His hands move to cup Ten’s cheek and fist his hair as Kun slowly brings their mouths closer together. When they are only an inch apart Kun mumbles something then his lips are pressing against Ten’s. The kiss is sweet for a moment. Kun adjusts himself in Ten’s lap and Ten’s hands move to touch along Kun’s sides as he deepens the kiss.

Kun slides his tongue into Ten’s mouth, trying to get as much of Ten as he can and Ten is eager to reciprocate. Ten is the one to break the kiss, unable to hold his breath for much longer. Kun’s lips move from Ten’s chin to his jawline, lightly sucking every few kisses. Gasping, Ten grips Kun’s waist harder while Kun’s lips trail down his neck.

“So good,” Kun mumbles against Ten’s neck, mouth sucking harshly on one particular spot. Ten’s back arches and then he feels a weird sensation against his neck. Is that? Ten pushes Kun off him and Kun looks confused, but Ten doesn’t miss the quick flash of pointed teeth and blood. “Is something wrong?”

“I think I’m going to leave,” Ten mumbles, eyeing Kun with the utmost suspicion. He almost doesn’t want to touch his neck, but he can feel the little drops of blood as Kun can’t seem to take his eyes off them. Ten gets up and exits the cabin without another word.

He’s sitting back in his car when it hits him. There’s no way that happened. That—no. Fuck. Ten grips at his hair. He has to get out of here. They can’t stay here another night. Ten is gonna get Yukhei and they are going to get those fucking vampires.

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

Hendery’s vision is a haze. At first he was with Ten and Yukhei, but now he’s all alone, trapped in some painfully white room with overhead lights that buzz and hurt his eyes. He moves and finds himself handcuffed to a table and chair. Hendery doesn’t have enough energy to resist the bonds, and can only rest his head on the table and wish for all of this to be over soon.

The door opens and Hendery’s head shoots up. He involuntarily pulls at his cuffs and whimpers when the metal digs into the soft skin of his wrists. The officer keeps a distance from Hendery, which makes Hendery want to scream. He knows what’s happened, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be treated with some basic respect.

“I have something for you,” the officer speaks and he produces a needle. Hendery hates needles. Every time he’d had to get a shot at the doctor’s office, Yukhei had to go with him and hold his hand so he wouldn't cry.  _ Yukhei. _

“Where is Yukhei?” Hendery asks, voice high and wispy. “Can I see him, please?” Hendery’s voice breaks and he collapses back down to the table. The officer edges closer as Hendery begins to twitch. God, he needs something or he’s going to die from this fucking pain.

The pain pricks behind his eyes, down to his fingertips and through his legs. He screams in pain, face still pressed into the cool metal of the table. There’s a prick to his arm, which Hendery can barely register amongst everything else. The pain is slightly dulled, allowing Hendery to think again, but it’s still the most powerful force here.

“Hendery?” The officer asks, back to standing as far away from Hendery as possible, looking almost like prey ready to be hunted. Hendery lets out a scream in response. “You’re not responding to the pain relief, so I’m forced to leave you like this until you become more functional.”

“NO!” Hendery shrieks, vocal cords breaking. “Please, you can’t. I need… Yukhei!”

“I’m sorry, but until you answer my questions, you’re not going anywhere,” the officer huffs and Hendery wishes he could rip the table off the ground and hurl it at the stupid officer’s head. All he needs right now is Yukhei. Then it will all be okay, right? That’s what Yukhei always said at least.

“I’ll answer them,” Hendery forces out.

“You really aren’t in the proper state—” the officer interrupts and Hendery growls in response, which while out of character, neither of them dwells on.

“Sit. Down.” Hendery grits his teeth and forces himself to sit up. “I was kidnapped from my bed by a bunch of vampires called Sons of the Moon.” Hendery takes a deep breath and stares at the floor as it’s less painful for his eyes. He can do this. Just tell the officer what happened and get to Yukhei. That’s all he needs.

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

Hendery has lost all sense of time. He remembers the first day the Sons of the Moon had brought him into town and how he had been kept in the back of a car while they informed the other members what had happened. Not all of the vampires were even mean to Hendery. Taeyong would play games with Hendery and ask him about his life. He stayed tied to something or within eyesight of someone at all times. 

Being trapped in the vampires’ hideout in the woods sucked for the obvious reasons: he’s tied to something, is surrounded by vampires (which can be very deadly), and he has no clue where the fuck Yukhei is. Hendery is trying to keep it together, he really is, but the sun is going down and the vampires look tense. Taeyong seems much more fidgety and has been eyeing Hendery oddly.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Hendery asks. He’s currently bound and sat on the floor of some dingy library in an even dingier cabin in the middle of the fucking woods. Taeyong doesn’t answer, instead, biting his nails and crossing his legs as he adjusts himself on his chair. Hendery is about to try again, but Kun enters the room looking almost high on adrenaline.

“Taeyong, why is Hendery still here? He should be in the clearing already,” Kun says. “I just scared Ten back to his cabin, but you know what he’s going to try and pull, don’t you?” Taeyong nods and Hendery feels excitement fill his veins.  _ Ten. _ The one to introduce him to Yukhei. The one who pushed Yukhei to finally propose. The one to reunite them again.

“Alright, Hendery,” Taeyong says. “You’re coming with me and Mark for now.” Hendery nods dully, not fully registering his surroundings, mind focused on Ten. Taeyong helps Hendery up as his arms are stuck behind him and they walk out of the cabin into the dark forest. Technically Hendery could run away here, but it’s pointless as there are literally vampires everywhere and he has no means to properly escape.

Taeyong’s hands are on his back and guiding him through the woods. Hendery nearly trips and falls a few times, but Taeyong’s hands stabilize him. After probably ten minutes in the woods, the trees thin out to a huge open clearing, illuminated by the full moon. In the center is a wooden contraption that looks like a medieval surgery gurney.

Once they start to walk towards the gurney, Hendery realizes that it’s for him. He has no clue what they are going to do to him there, but he doesn’t want to find out. He writhes against Taeyong and ends up knocking himself to the ground and getting dirt smudged on his face.

“Hendery, you have to get up or I’ll have to get Johnny involved,” Taeyong sighs. He isn’t strong enough to deadlift Hendery which buys Hendery time to try and get anyway from that fucking gurney.

“Go ahead,” Hendery spits back. “I’m not going on that fucking gurney.” Maybe it’s the knowledge that Ten is nearby. Maybe Hendery is just fed up. Who knows, but there’s no way in hell that Hendery is getting on that stupid wooden torture trap.

Strong arms wrap around Hendery. Johnny. Fuck, Hendery didn’t think Taeyong could get him over that fast. He strains against Johnny’s hold, who only holds him tighter.

“Why are you doing this?” Hendery whines. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I do not fucking like it.”

“You’re getting turned, Hendery,” Johnny replies.  _ Oh fuck. _ Hendery can’t be a vampire. He can’t even get his blood taken without being a whole baby about it. He is not the model pre-vampire they think he is.

“But I would be such a shitty vampire!” Hendery protests, straining harder.

“That’s what I thought too,” Johnny mumbles under his breath. What? Johnny used to be a human? Or is Hendery imagining things from the sheer amount of stress he’s under? Johnny lifts Hendery up and suddenly he’s lying flat on the gurney. His arms and legs are strapped down and suddenly there is nothing Hendery can do to free himself.

“Let me go!” Hendery protests.

“No can do,” Johnny replies, looking a bit sad. “I’m stuck guarding you since Taeyong clearly can’t handle it. I’m also the one with the highest blood tolerance, so I’m just going to apologize in advance. The whole experience kinda sucks, but it’s what has to happen.”

“Woah, woah, slow down.” Hendery struggles to pull away from Johnny who now has a whole ass knife in his hand, but it’s pointless. “What are you gonna do to me?”

“In order to turn you, I need to carve runes into your skin, so the moonlight can fully turn you easier. I also need Taeil to get over here and give you some venom. It’ll make everything hurt less and the more he gives you the better the experience, but the stronger your attachment to him,” Johnny explains, and Hendery nods, horror etched into his features. He’s going to be turned into a fucking vampire and then have some emotional connection to someone he’s never even met. Everyone keeps mentioning this Taeil, but Hendery has never met him. He’s met Johnny, Mark, Taeyong, and Kun, but apparently there’s more. 

“I don’t want to be a vampire though.” Johnny laughs dryly.

“You’ll get used to it.” Johnny brings the knife closer to Hendery, close enough where he can see the moonlight glint off the blade. Hendery swallows thickly. “Now, do I start the runes first or let Taeil give you the venom?” This seems like a more rhetorical question, so Hendery bites his tongue.

“Johnny,” calls Mark, running up to them. “Taeil says that Ten and Yukhei are already here. You need to give Hendery as many runes as possible and fast.”

“But what about the venom?”

“No time,” Mark replies. Then he is off running towards the tree line. Johnny turns back to Hendery and sighs. Hendery shuts his eyes as tight he can, trying to brace himself for the knife.

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

All Yukhei can think about is getting to Hendery. Hendery, Hendery, Hendery. He and Ten sprint through the woods, trying to get to that clearing that Yukhei spotted before. Ten had returned from his date out of breath and screaming and Yukhei had gotten dressed as quickly as he could. They grabbed all of the weapons they could carry and now they are here, ready to save Hendery.

Yukhei doesn’t want to tell Ten ‘I told you so’ because now isn’t the time, but there is something pleasing to the fact that Yukhei’s vampire detecting skills aren’t completely gone.

“Yukhei, slow down,” Ten hisses, stepping loudly on a branch in his efforts to keep up with Yukhei. But Yukhei doesn’t even register that Ten is talking to him. All of his thoughts are focused on Hendery. Yukhei races ahead of Ten and hits the tree line. He hesitates for a moment but then he sees Hendery in the center of the clearing covered in blood and all logic is gone. He’s sprinting towards Hendery like there is no tomorrow and in a sense if he doesn’t get Hendery out of here safely there won’t be.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yukhei sees Taeyong and Mark come running. Before they can try to knock him down, Yukhei rolls to the ground, causing them to run into each other instead. Hendery sees Yukhei and his face lights up but Yukhei is knocked to the ground by someone else. The breath is knocked out of him completely and he struggles to see who has him down. Yukhei sees that it’s Kun and he tries to kick Kun off, but he holds strong, only hissing from the pain.

Yukhei thinks he has the upper hand, but then there’s something forcing his wrists together and Kun is sitting on his back, meaning Yukhei is stuck for the moment. He might be able to throw Kun off, but first he needs a plan. He looks to his right and sees Ten in a similar position with someone Yukhei identifies as Taeil. Mark and Taeyong have recovered from crashing together and are now taking over the supervision of Ten.

Taeil moves closer to the center of the clearing, closest to Hendery, and around thirty feet from Ten or Yukhei. He clears his throat and Yukhei catches sight of fangs. 

“As leader of the Sons of the Moon,” Taeil begins and Yukhei’s gut churns. “I have worked tirelessly to try and stop pesky humans from getting in the way of our success as vampires. We are done letting humans crush us and win awards for killing us. All we wish is to feed in peace. There once was a time where humans and vampires had some kind of mutually beneficial relationship, but those days cannot be recovered due to humans' repeated destruction of vampire life. Now we are in a zero-sum game, where either the vampires will win or the humans will win.” Taeil pauses and looks around the field. “Here, tonight we have three more humans that can join our clan. You might not want to become vampires but once you are, you will learn the ways of vampire culture and come to love it because you will have no other option. There are practically no more pureblood vampires, we rely solely on the turning of others. But why would they stay you may ask? Because once you’re a vampire, you cannot return to your normal life, and living on your own is almost certainly a recipe for disaster. Isn’t that right, Johnny?”

The taller man standing next to Hendery looks up and then Yukhei sees it. Johnny is Johnny Seo, Ten’s old partner. Yukhei looks over to Ten, who seems like he’s freaking out a bit. Yukhei aches to comfort him, but he can’t. Fuck fuck fuck. How can he free Hendery  _ and _ Ten? Kun seems to be one of the stronger vampires, so if Yukhei can take him out, he can free the others easier.

Yukhei feels his knife press into his hip and thinks of the best way to get out of his binds. Once he has the knife, he can stab Kun and disarm him. Yukhei’s hands press into his chest and he takes a subtle glance down at how he’s bound. It’s basically some triple knotted fabric thing. With a bit of careful fiddling, Yukhei has the fabric off his wrists. He looks to Ten who’s staring right back at him.

To tell Ten his plan, Yukhei pokes his tongue into his cheek, which is the cue for follow my lead. Yukhei hopes this fucking works. Before Kun can do anything, Yukhei flips them over and quickly pulls the knife out of his pocket. Kun is struggling, trying to bite at Yukhei, but Yukhei is too fast and the knife goes directly into his chest. Blood bubbles up from Kun’s mouth, but Yukhei doesn’t think that’s enough to kill him. 

He sprints towards Hendery with all he has and takes the same blade he stabbed Kun with and cuts through one of Hendery’s leg straps before having to kick Taeil away from him. Taeil falls flat on his back and Johnny just stares between the two of them. Caught between right and wrong.

Ten is over in a minute and then Hendery is freed from his restraints, but he’s pale and can barely walk. Johnny and Ten share some gaze that means  _ something _ , but Yukhei can’t decipher what it means at the moment.

“I won’t stop you,” Johnny says and then Ten has Hendery wrapped up in his arms and is running towards the tree line. Yukhei sprints past them and knocks Taeyong to the ground before he can pounce on Ten.

“Yukhei, hurry up,” Ten screams. He and Hendery are already at the trees and Yukhei has several vampires starting to come in closer, ready to attack.

“Go on without me,” Yukhei calls back. “I will deal with these few and then come find you.”

“Yukhei please,” Hendery screeches. “You have to come with us!” Yukhei tackles Mark to the ground and is about to spray him in the face with some pepper spray but Taeil comes back and grabs him from behind. Yukhei is sure Taeil would have sunk his teeth into Yukhei’s neck, but then Hendery comes barreling between the two of them.

Taeil is thrown to the ground, and Yukhei stares at Hendery. He looks rejuvenated and his wounds have all closed. That means— _ oh no. _ Hendery grabs Yukhei’s hand and they sprint into the woods, all the way to the outer edge of the forest where Ten is waiting for them with the car. The two hop in the back seat and Ten is driving away at top speed.

“Yukhei,” Hendery whines. “I’m so hungry. Can we please get something to eat? I would love a burger right now.” Hendery laughs but his voice is slightly clipped.

“Ten, we need to go to the police right now,” Yukhei says, voice calm unlike the war of emotions raging inside him right now.

“But—”

“No buts,” Yukhei decides. “We have to go there because even if things are bad, things will be worse if we don’t.” Hendery whines again and nuzzles his face into Yukhei’s chest, who feels a pang of bittersweetness in his heart.

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

“And now I’m here,” Yukhei finishes. The officer looks a bit shocked but covers it up quickly. “What happens now though? I know Hendery is a vampire, but he was also turned and hasn’t hurt anyone—”

“What is there to do?” The officer replies. “We can’t set Hendery free because he’s a hungry vampire, but we also can’t kill him because he is a citizen.”

“Taeil mentioned how people and vampires used to work together long ago,” Yukhei says. “Is there any way to work out something like that?” Yukhei shifts in his chair and he feels the blood that soaked into his jeans stick to his skin as he moves.

“That was way before my time too.” The officer sighs. “Maybe we should bring Ten in here.”

“Yes, please.” The officer leaves and comes back with Ten, who’s still in handcuffs. Ten sits on the table casually and the officer sits back in front of Yukhei.

“So, long ago, before I was even a vampire hunter,” Ten begins. “Vampires were brought on as a way to deal with the most heinous criminals. They would be killed for their crimes against humanity and vampires could be fed, and if a vampire got out of line, then would be killed in the same way or by the few hunters that existed. It was a much better system then what we have now if I’m being honest. Sicheng, do you have any thoughts?”

The officer, now identified as Sicheng says, “I think it’s certainly something to consider. Like we could hire on vampires as investigators for other vampires that actively try to turn them. That seems like the most realistic possibility here.”

“How would we even go about that?” Yukhei asks. “All I want to get Hendery back for good.”

“Well, we’d have to get the chief involved and then talk to all of the other chiefs in the country and eventually bring it up with the big guys in the government,” Ten explains, swishing his legs as he talks. “But I will be with you every step of the way and I’m sure we can get other officers to help. Isn’t that right, Sicheng?”

“I don’t like that you’re dragging me into this, but yeah, true love deserves to prevail in the end over all else. The system shouldn’t stop you from that.” Yukhei feels like he might burst into tears. Maybe there is hope for him and Hendery after all.

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me on twt im nice i promise  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/carrotyeol)  
> [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.qa/carrotyeol)


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